Nipple wrench



W. VAN E. THOMPSON NIPPLE WRENCH March 20,` 1934.

Filed May 18. 1931 .I or other structure.

ner.

Patented Mar. 20, 1934 1,951,584 MPBLE WRENCH Walter Van E. Thompson, Los Angeles, Calif., as-

signor to Thompson Manufacturing Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application May 1s, 1931, serial No. 538,223 Y 2 claims.

My invention relates to a nipple wrench which is designed for the purpose .of installing or removing pipe nipples and the like which are inaccessible under ordinary conditions.

In order that the features of my invention may be readily understood I will briefly reier to the art in which it is used. My invention is primarily intended for use in the irrigation industry but Vis not limited to that particular industry. In this irrigation industry it is common practice to install sprinklers in a lawn or other areas to be irrigated. These sprinklers are secured at or near the surface of the ground, to the upper end of 'vertical pipe or nipples which are connected at their lower ends to a main supply pipe. In the case of irrigation systems in lawns the system is ordinarily installed before the lawn is planted and the short nipples are readily placed. I-Iowever, when it is necessary to replace parts in the sprinkling system it is necessary to remove the earth and lawn around each nipple in .order to unscrew it when the ordinary type of wrench is used. It is quite obvious that this is highly objectionable since it ruins a lawn or at least re- .quires removal of a portion of the turf which must be replaced and which must again start to grow. In addition to this disadvantage the systern of removing and installing nipples referred to has the disadvantage of requiring considerable time, thus increasing the cost of making replacements.

It is the object oi my invention to provide a nipple wrench by means of which nipples which are relatively inaccessible may be removed or in- 4I stalled without requiring the removal of the earth around the nipple. As pointed out above, my invention is not limited to the irrigation industry but, for example, may be used in the building industry where it is necessary to install and remo-ve plumbing nxtures or electrical conduits. The same dirliculty is present in those arts because in order to get to the nipple and apply a wrench thereto in order to remove it, it is necessary to remove some of the surrounding wall, oor, By the use of my invention the nipples may be removed or inserted into place without removing the surrounding structure.

My invention provides a means which is adapted to engage the short pipe or nipple with sufril cient gripping force that it may be rotated to unscrew it. My invention also provides, in `combination with this engaging or gripping member, a means which will protect the threads on the end of the nipple from being injured in any man- It will, of course, be readily apparent to the reader that if the device for removing the nipples injures the threads so that they Will have to be rethreaded, the device is not adapted for practical use, since a rethreading of the end of the nipple requires some time, and when the nipple is again installed in the wall the threads might again be injured so that a coupling or other nxture could not be connected to the end of the nipple.

In the preferred form of my invention I provide the nipple wrench with a gripping or engaging means' whi i has spiral ridges provided .on it'. This ridge portion is preferably tapered and of such size that it may be inserted in the end of the nipple. Cooperating with this engaging or gripping portion is a protection means which is so formed that it may engage the threaded portion of the nipple and prevent it from being expanded or otherwise injured. In the preferred form of my invention this protection means is .preferably in the form of a sleeve having an internal conical face which is dropped downward to engage the threaded end of the nipple and thus prevents expansion thereof. By providing a conical inner face Various sizes of nipples may be accommodated by the same protective sleeve.

In the accompanying drawing I illustrate two forms of my invention, one of which is'adap'ted to install a nipple and the other of.' which 'is adapted to remove the nipple. This difference of .use requires only a `right-hand and a left"- hand spiral ridge on the gripping portion, depending upon which way the nipple is to be rotated.

Referring to the drawing in detail,-

Fig. 1 is an elevational View partly in section showing one form of my invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections taken on the lines V2 2 and 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a portion of a nipple wrench adapted to engage and to rotate the nipple in a direction opposite from the nipple wrench shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inelusive.

Referring `to the drawing in detail, the numeral l1 represents a shank having a handle 12 connected to the upper end thereof, this handle being in the form of a horizontal rod which extends through a diametrical opening 13 provided in the end of the shank 1I. At the lower end or" the shank 11 there is provided an engagement or gripping portion 14, which is provided with spiral ridges l5 which are on a taper as shown. When the wrench is applied to the upper end of the nipple 16, as shown in Fig. 1, the engagement or gripping portion 14 extends into the upper end 17 of the nipple and the spiral ridges 15 thereof grip the cylindrical surface 17.

Placed on the shank 11 is a protection means generally indicated by the numeral 20. This protection means is provided in the form of a sleeve 21 having an opening therethrough through which the shank 11 extends, thus serving as a journal for the protection means 20. The sleeve 21 is provided with an annular recess'22 which receives the end 23 of a lock pin 24. The lock pin 24 prevents the protection means from being removed from the shank, by reason of the fact that there is a shoulder 26 at the upper end of the recess 22 and another shoulder 27 at the lower end thereof. The lower end of the sleeve 21 is provided with an internal conical face 30 which is essentially the protection means of the sleeve. As shown in Fig. 1, this conical face 30 is adapted to engage threads 32 formed on the exterior face at the end of the nipple 16. When the threads 32 are thus engaged the engagement portion 14, even though it exerts expansive forces on the end of the nipple, cannot expand, the end of the nipple. If the protection means were not provided, the engagement portion 14 would expand and tend to crack or distort the threaded end of the nipple, thus requiring it to be rethreaded before it could again be used or requiring it to be replaced. f

In using the nipple wrench of my invention the handle 12 is engaged by the operator and the shank is so positioned that the engagement portion 14 will enter the end of the nipple 16. The shank is then rotated and the spiral ridges 15 will cause the engagement portion 14 to enter the end of the nipple 16. When this entrance has been accomplished the protection means may be moved downward into position shown in Fig. 1 so that the threads will be engaged. It is essential that this protection means be moved downward into this position before the engagement portion 14 has exerted any substantial force on the end walls of the nipple. In other words, it is essential that the parts occupy the position shown in Fig. 1 before the engagement portion 14 has an opportunity to expand the end of the nipple 16.

In Fig. 4, which is a fragmentary View of another form of my invention, the engagement portion 14 is provided with spiral ridges 35 which extend in an opposite direction from the spiral ridges 15 shown in Fig. 1. One of the wrenches therefore is used to insert the nipple and the other wrench is used to remove the nipple.

From the foregoing description and from an inspection of the drawing, it will readily be seen that the nipple wrench of my invention provides for the removal or insertion of a nipple or equivalent member without any injury to the end of the nipple or to the threads formed on the end thereof. It is further apparent from the specification and the drawing that it is not necessary to breal; away the material surrounding the nipple to be removed in view of the fact that the external diameter of the sleeve is but slightly larger than the external diameter of the nipple 16. It is quite obvious that when using the nipple wrench of my invention a great saving of time may be accomplished and also the appearance of the lawn or other formation in which the nipple is located will not be disturbed.

I fully understand that various modifications of my invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore do not wish to be limited to the exact form of the invention shown herein. I do, however, wish my invention to be construed in accordance with the appended claims in which I have dened my invention in terms commensurate with the scope thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a nipple wrench or" the class described, the combination of: a shank; engagement means provided on said shank, said engagement means including spiral ridges; and a slidable sleeve rotatably and longitudinally movable on said shank, said sleeve providing an internal conical face at one end thereof.

2. In a nipple wrench of the class described for rotating a threaded nipple without injuring the threads thereof, the combination of: an engagement means adapted to be inserted into the end of said nipple and to grip said nipple by exerting an outward pressure against the inner wall thereof; and a protective means slidably mounted on said engagement means and adapted for longitudinal adjustment to engage the external threaded wall of said nipple to prevent same from being expanded so as to injure said threads.

WALTER VAN E. THOMPSON. 

